I just had two phone calls from customers wanting their parts sooner. We charge extra $ when we put their orders first b/c we're making other customer's orders late. Then they sit there and argue with me over the price. "How am I going to explain this to MY customer?" I DON'T CARE!

I do not go to Walmart and haggle..... this is not a garage sale! I am selling parts to you that are important. That are not cheap. They are not made out of cheap material and we do not have employees that work for free, sorry, you have to pay a price that makes sure that we don't sell at a loss. I like my job, I don't work for free nor would I and I cannot give you a special price that could make me lose my job!!

Then they ask me to hold while they call their customer.... like I have nothing better to do.

Seriously, will this week ever end?

moonduck

hang on, only a day and a half until you can letterbox and thow all your cares away for a few short hours of extreme exercise while you follow difficult and obscure clues over difficult terrain, all the while cussong out the planter until...aha! there it is! and you stamp in and smell the ink on your fingers and all is right with the world.

night writer

Seriously, will this week ever end?

Sure it will! In about... 30 hours...

But I gotta tell ya... another week lies just over the next rise...

*

What kind of parts do you sell? My husband sells auto parts.

Woodsong

When we still were running our business I would advise clients that there is PRICE,QUALITY, and SERVICE and they should pick two of the choices.

Don

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When we still were running our business I would advise clients that there is PRICE,QUALITY, and SERVICE and they should pick two of the choices.

now that is a great policy and you can cover yourself too.

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When we still were running our business I would advise clients that there is PRICE,QUALITY, and SERVICE and they should pick two of the choices.

Oh, the luxury of owning your own business, ah!!!! I sell airplane parts. If they aren't good quality, they don't go out the door and we can get in trouble. No one wants that responsibility.

The problem is the material costs (copper being one for example, steel, plastic as well) and the government testing requirements have all more than doubled. We had parts selling for under a buck this time last year and they're well over $3 now.

We have some competitors, one of which is trying to get in with us and work out some stuff. Another undercuts us everytime and we're wondering if he's fulfilling his testing requirements b/c we don't know how he can underprice us everytime.

I had a customer ask me recently if I was marking the price up so I'd make more money.... like I'm on commission or something. I was so insulted, I flat out told him that was rude of him and he underestimated me, that I wouldn't do that b/c it's ignorant. He apologized at least and mumbled something about the price going up. I said my gas prices have gone up but I don't go in the station and try to negotiate.

This day is done, thank goodness, now for tomorrow!

moonduck

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I sell airplane parts.

Here is my airplane parts story. We owned a security company with armed and unarmed security officers. I got a call wanting us to set up 5 armed guards and 5 unarmed guards for an auction in Signal Hill, Ca. that was to be held in approx two weeks. A price was set up and I figured I would be one of the armed guards as I only had 12 that were qualified and everyone else had their regular schedule to work.
The day of the auction arrives and we set up a bit early. Off in the distance I see several smoke plumes in the distance 5 or 6 miles away in Long Beach. This happened to be the first day of the riot in LB and LA. Everyone of the auction attendees had a briefcase with them as this was a CASH auction and even used airplane parts a worth a bunch of bucks. If only the rioters knew how much money was at this auction compared to the 20 inch tvs they were stealing. I was sweating blood all day long.

Don

I was in a family-owned grocery store a couple of years ago, when a beligerent customer told the clerk, "Walmart sells this at half the price." The clerk was being very polite considering the circumstances, but getting nowhere. So I stepped in and said. "If you want to pay half-price, walk across the street and get it at Walmart." (Walmart was, in fact, just across the road.) I don't think she expected anyone to challenge her. She shut up and paid the store's marked prices. There is something seriously wrong with a society that believes you can bully your way to everything you want.

speedsquare

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Everyone of the auction attendees had a briefcase with them as this was a CASH auction and even used airplane parts a worth a bunch of bucks.

Wow Don, that's a crazy story! I would have been so nervous too!

It still astounds me sometimes what airplane parts are worth. My "big" account (which happened to be our #1 customer last year) makes the small engines for Cessnas and other types, but people who are interested can go to them and make their own airplane engine themselves... how cool would that be? I asked if I could do it sometime, but they said I'd have to pay for it and what am I going to do with an airplane engine? All these parts are steel and go out for heat treating and microhardness inspections, and there's really a lot of detail and attention paid to each and every part.

I always feel safe when I get on a plane, one of our parts is on every single plane out there, one way or another. I get some strange looks however b/c I always peer into the cockpit when it's open, wondering where our parts are in there (they're under the dash I found out later). My fiance, who is terrified of flying, agreed to get on a plane later this year once I explained to him how much attention is paid to every single part and how they're installed.

They even do background checks when you go on the special tours for manufacturers at the "airplane factories." It's just all so supercool to see the airplanes on an assembly line and my parts here and there throughout them.

As you can tell, I love my job for the most part, it's just the customers some days... and the government on other days too.... but airplanes are just so damn cool!!!!

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They even do background checks when you go on the special tours for manufacturers at the "airplane factories."

I took a factory tour of the Boeing assembly plant in Everett which was really cool (and definitely recommended if you ever find yourself in the area!), but I don't remember them doing any background checks on me!

It's great, though. They build some of the largest planes in the world there, and it's so neat seeing them putting them together. =)

-- Ryan

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I took a factory tour of the Boeing assembly plant in Everett which was really cool (and definitely recommended if you ever find yourself in the area!), but I don't remember them doing any background checks on me!

This is my big dream, but I don't handle the Boeing account so I'll probably not get to go for business. Which would mean the same tour that you got if I went for pleasure.... unless I got the Boeing rep to hook me up with her buyers. The tours they give manufacturers are generally a little more detailed. They also look to make sure we don't have cameras in our purses or phones and I noticed that we were followed by people who were not working on the planes and were not part of the tour. If we lingered (which we did when we saw our parts) they came up to us and kind of moved us along. My tour at Lockheed was amazing, we actually saw people who had gotten past the checkpoint being pulled over by the "Lockheed police" and kicked back out.

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The tours they give manufacturers are generally a little more detailed.

Yeah, rub it in, why don't you? =) They don't allow cameras on the Boeing factory tour either.

I vaguely remember a story about Amanda's dad being able to get a "real" tour of a Boeing factory once. Might not have been the one in Everett, though (which are where the tours for the general public are). Could have been in Renton? I don't remember. Seems like I remember something about her dad doing a "real" Boeing tour when Amanda was dating an employee there. You'd have to ask her for details.

I could probably arrange a tour of the office building at Intel, but it's not really interesting. Just a bunch of cubes. I always wanted to tour a fab, but us office workers were never allowed anywhere near the bunny suits. Seems terrible to work at Intel and never see the inside of a fab. *shaking head*

-- Ryan

Okay, I'll bite. What's a fab?

DebBee

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Okay, I'll bite. What's a fab?

It's short for.... gosh, I don't know. =) It's the factories where they actually make the physical chips, though. They're called fabs. Probably short for "fabricate" or something? I just worked in typical office buildings, though.

-- Ryan